Information processing apparatus control method of information processing apparatus and storage medium

ABSTRACT

Whether to enable a packet discarding mode is designated and, if an information processing apparatus operates in a power saving mode and the packet discarding mode is enabled, the information processing apparatus determines processing for a received packet based on a proxy response pattern, a WOL pattern, and a discard pattern, and, if the information processing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the packet discarding mode is disabled, the information processing apparatus determines processing for the received packet based on the proxy response pattern and the WOL pattern without using the discard pattern.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation, and claims the benefit, of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/097,824 filed Dec. 5, 2013 (now U.S. PatNo. 9,575,546), which claims the benefit of Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2012-267558 filed Dec. 6, 2012. Each of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/097,824 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-267558 is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, acontrol method of the information processing apparatus, and a storagemedium.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, there are growing demands for reducing powerconsumption of information processing apparatuses such as printers anddigital multi functional peripherals (MFPs). In order to meet suchdemands, for example, there is developed a known technique that shiftsan information processing apparatus from a normal power mode to a powersaving mode if the apparatus does not operate for a predetermined periodof time. In the normal power mode, power is supplied to both of a maincontrol unit and a communication unit of the information processingapparatus. When the mode is changed to the power saving mode, however,although power is continuously supplied to the communication unit of theinformation processing apparatus, power to the main control unit of theinformation processing apparatus is blocked. Thus, the power consumptionof the information processing apparatus in the power saving mode isreduced as a whole compared to when the apparatus is in the normal powermode. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-259906 discusses atechnique in which, if the information processing apparatus is in thenormal power mode, the main control unit responds to a received packetsent from an external apparatus whereas, if the information processingapparatus is in the power saving mode, the communication unit respondsto the received packet in place of the main control unit.

According to the above-described technique, the communication unitdetermines whether the received packet matches a response pattern storedin advance in the information processing apparatus. If the communicationunit determines that the received packet matches the response pattern,the communication unit responds to the received packet. As the responsepattern, for example, a status request, which is used for polling andoutput by an external apparatus to the information processing apparatusat regular intervals, is set in advance in the information processingapparatus. If such a status request used for polling is set in advanceas the response pattern, since the communication unit responds to thestatus request in place of the main control unit, the informationprocessing apparatus can maintain the power saving mode and the powerconsumption of the information processing apparatus as a whole can bereduced.

If the type of the external apparatus is changed or if a version of anapplication which operates on the external apparatus is upgraded, thetype of the status request used for polling by the external apparatus atregular intervals may be added. In such a case, according to theabove-described technique, the communication unit can respond only tothe status request set in advance and not to the newly-added statusrequest. Thus, on receiving the newly-added status request, the mode ofthe information processing apparatus is shifted from the power savingmode to the normal power mode. Accordingly, there is an issue that thebenefit from the power saving mode (reducing power consumption) cannotbe fully obtained.

This issue can be solved by adding the newly-added status request to theresponse pattern. However, in adding a new pattern to the responsepattern, it is necessary to change the hardware of the communicationunit. Changing the hardware of the communication unit leads to increasein cost. Further, since it is impractical to change all the hardware ofthe information processing apparatuses on the market, it is notdesirable to add the newly-added status request to the response pattern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an information processing apparatuswhich can maintain a power saving mode even if, for example, the numberof types of status request in which an external apparatus performspolling at regular intervals is increased.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an informationprocessing apparatus operable in a first power mode and a second powermode with smaller power consumption than the first power mode includes areceiving unit configured to receive a packet sent from an externalapparatus, a storage unit configured to store, as information to be usedby the information processing apparatus, operating in the second powermode, for determining processing for a received packet received by thereceiving unit, a response pattern which indicates a pattern of a packetin which the information processing apparatus responds to the receivedpacket while maintaining the second power mode, a shift pattern whichindicates a packet in which the information processing apparatus isshifted from the second power mode to the first power mode, a discardpattern in which the information processing apparatus discards thereceived packet and maintains the second power mode, and a setting unitconfigured to set whether to use the discard pattern in order todetermine the processing for the received packet based on a designationof a user, wherein, if the information processing apparatus operates inthe second power mode and the discard pattern is set to be used by thesetting unit, the information processing apparatus determines theprocessing for the received packet based on the response pattern, theshift pattern, and the discard pattern, and, if the informationprocessing apparatus operates in the second power mode and the discardpattern is set not to be used by the setting unit, the informationprocessing apparatus determines the processing for the received packetbased on the response pattern and the shift pattern.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an information processing system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of an information processingapparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed when theinformation processing apparatus is shifted from a normal power mode toa power saving mode.

FIG. 4 is a setting screen for enabling/disabling setting of a packetdiscarding mode.

FIG. 5 illustrates a proxy response pattern, a Wake On LAN (WOL)pattern, and a discard pattern according to a first exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed when theinformation processing apparatus is in the power saving mode accordingto the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed when theinformation processing apparatus is in the power saving mode accordingto the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing which is executed when theinformation processing apparatus is in the power saving mode accordingto a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the inventionwill be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First, a first exemplary embodiment will be described.

A configuration of an information processing system 100 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1.The information processing system 100 includes an information processingapparatus 101 and a personal computer (PC) 102. The informationprocessing apparatus 101 and the PC 102 are mutually connected via anetwork 103.

Next, a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus101 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The informationprocessing apparatus 101 is a digital MFP (printing apparatus) equippedwith a copying function, a printing function, a scanning function, and atransmission function. Although the present exemplary embodiment isdescribed using a digital MFP as the information processing apparatus101, the information processing apparatus according to the presentexemplary embodiment is not limited to a digital MFP. The informationprocessing apparatus 101 does not necessarily include all of theabove-described functions and can be an apparatus including at least oneof the above-described functions, and may further include a differentfunction.

The information processing apparatus 101 includes a main control unit200, a communication unit 220, a power supply control unit 230, aprinter 211, a scanner 212, and an operation unit 213. The configurationof each unit will be described.

The main control unit 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201,an expansion interface (I/F) 202, a read-only memory (ROM) 203, a randomaccess memory (RAM) 204, a hard disk drive (HDD) 205, a power supplycontrol unit I/F 206, a printer I/F 207, a scanner I/F 208, an operationunit I/F 209, and a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) 210. Theunits are connected to be able to communicate with one another via abus.

The CPU 201 reads a control program stored in the ROM 203 and controlsthe operation of the entire information processing apparatus 101. TheRAM 204 is used as a main memory and a temporary storage area such as awork area of the CPU 201. The HDD 205 is a storage area used for storingvarious types of information such as font data, an emulation program,and form data. The NVRAM 210 is a non-volatile memory and stores varioustypes of information. The expansion I/F 202 is used when the maincontrol unit communicates with the communication unit 220. Although oneCPU (the CPU 201) uses one memory (the RAM 204 or the HDD 205) inexecuting the processing of the flowcharts described below by the maincontrol unit 200 of the information processing apparatus 101, theexemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited to such anexample. For example, a plurality of CPUs and a plurality of RAMs orHDDs may be configured to work together so that the processing of theflowcharts described below can be executed.

The printer I/F 207 connects the main control unit 200 and the printer211. The printer 211 executes print processing based on a print job andimage data generated by the scanner 212. The image data printed by theprinter 211 is transferred from the main control unit 200 to the printer211 via the printer I/F 207.

The scanner I/F 208 connects the main control unit 200 and the scanner212. The scanner 212 reads a document and generates image data. Theimage data generated by the scanner 212 is transferred to the maincontrol unit 200 via the scanner I/F 208.

The operation unit I/F 209 connects the main control unit 200 and theoperation unit 213. The operation unit 213 includes a liquid crystaldisplay unit having a touch panel function or a keyboard. Informationinput by a user via the operation unit 213 is transferred to the maincontrol unit 200 via the operation unit I/F 209.

The power supply control unit I/F 206 connects the main control unit 200to the power supply control unit 230. A shift instruction of the powermode described below is transferred from the main control unit 200 tothe power supply control unit 230 via the power supply control unit I/F206.

Next, the communication unit 220 will be described. The communicationunit 220 includes a CPU 221, an expansion I/F 222, a ROM 223, a RAM 224,a network I/F 225, a power supply control unit I/F 226, and an NVRAM227. The units are connected to be able to communicate with one anothervia a bus. The communication unit 220 is a network interface card (NIC)and can be removed from the information processing apparatus 101. Themain control unit 200 can communicate with an external apparatus such asthe PC 102 via the communication unit 220.

The CPU 221 reads a control program stored in the ROM 223 and controlsthe operation of the communication unit 220. The RAM 224 is used as amain memory and a temporary storage area such as a work area of the CPU221. The NVRAM 227 is a non-volatile memory and stores various types ofinformation. Although one CPU (the CPU 221) uses one memory (the RAM224) in executing the processing of the flowcharts described below bythe communication unit 220 of the information processing apparatus 101,the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited to suchan example. For example, a plurality of CPUs and a plurality of RAMs maybe configured to work together so that the processing of the flowchartsdescribed below can be executed.

The network I/F 225 is connected to the network 103 and performstransmission and reception of data between the communication unit 220and an external apparatus such as the PC 102. The expansion I/F 222communicates with the main control unit 200.

The power supply control unit I/F 226 connects the communication unit220 to the power supply control unit 230. The shift instruction of thepower mode described below is transferred from the communication unit220 to the power supply control unit 230 via the power supply controlunit I/F 226.

The power supply control unit 230 converts alternating current (AC)power supplied from a power supply 231 via a power supply line 232 todirect current (DC) power. Then, the power supply control unit 230supplies the DC power to the communication unit 220 and the main controlunit 200 via power supply lines 233 and 234. According to the presentexemplary embodiment, the power supply control unit 230 supplies DCpower to each of the printer 211, the scanner 212, and the operationunit 213 via power supply lines (not illustrated). The power supplycontrol unit 230 controls the power mode of the information processingapparatus 101 based on the shift instruction received from the powersupply control units I/F 206 and 226.

Next, the power mode of the information processing apparatus 101 will bedescribed. The information processing apparatus 101 has two power modes:a normal power mode and a power saving mode.

When the information processing apparatus 101 operates in the normalpower mode, power is supplied to both of the main control unit 200 andthe communication unit 220 from the power supply control unit 230. Inthe normal power mode, power may be continuously supplied to the printer211, the scanner 212, and the operation unit 213. However, if any of theprinter 211, the scanner 212, and the operation unit 213 is not used,power to the unused unit may be blocked. In other words, the normalpower mode is a power mode where power is supplied to at least both ofthe main control unit 200 and the communication unit 220 by the powersupply control unit 230.

On the other hand, when the information processing apparatus 101operates in the power saving mode, although power is supplied to thecommunication unit 220 by the power supply control unit 230, power tothe main control unit 200, the printer 211, the scanner 212, and theoperation unit 213 is blocked. Since the power to the main control unit200, the printer 211, the scanner 212, and the operation unit 213 isblocked, the power saving mode is a mode with smaller power consumptioncompared to the normal power mode.

When the information processing apparatus 101 operates in the powersaving mode, processing of a packet sent from an external apparatus suchas the PC 102 is executed by the communication unit 220 in place of themain control unit 200. When the communication unit 220 executes theprocessing, the communication unit 220 determines the processing to beperformed for the received packet based on a proxy response pattern, aWake On LAN (WOL) pattern, and a discard pattern. The proxy responsepattern, the WOL pattern, and the discard pattern will be described indetail below with reference to FIG. 5.

If the information processing apparatus 101, which is operating in thenormal power mode, determines that a shift condition to the power savingmode is satisfied, the mode of the information processing apparatus isshifted to the power saving mode. This shift to the power saving modewill be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 3. Each step ofthe flowchart in FIG. 3 is processed by the CPU 201 of the main controlunit 200 loading a program stored in a memory, such as the ROM 203, tothe RAM 204 and executing it. The processing of the flowchart in FIG. 3is processing which is executed when the information processingapparatus 101 operates in the normal power mode.

In step S301, the CPU 201 determines whether the normal power mode is tobe shifted to the power saving mode. According to the present exemplaryembodiment, if the CPU 201 determines that the shift condition to thepower saving mode is satisfied, the CPU 201 determines that the normalpower mode is to be shifted to the power saving mode (YES in step S301),and the processing proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, if the CPU201 does not determine that the shift condition to the power saving modeis satisfied, the CPU 201 determines that the normal power mode is notto be shifted to the power saving mode (NO in step S301), and theprocessing in step S301 is repeated. Then, the CPU 201 waits until itdetermines the shift condition to the power saving mode is satisfied.According to the present exemplary embodiment, if a print job is notinput in the information processing apparatus 101 for a predeterminedperiod of time (e.g., 5 minutes) or if a shift instruction to the powersaving mode is input by the user via the operation unit 213, the CPU 201determines that the shift condition to the power saving mode issatisfied.

In step S302, the CPU 201 determines whether the setting of the packetdiscarding mode is enabled. If the setting of the packet discarding modeis enabled, the discard pattern, which is illustrated in FIG. 5 anddescribed below, will be used when the communication unit 220 determinesthe processing of the received packet. On the other hand, if the settingof the packet discarding mode is disabled, the discard patternillustrated in FIG. 5 and described below, will not be used when thecommunication unit 220 determines the processing of the received packet.By enabling the packet discarding mode, the communication unit 220 candiscard a particular packet which matches the discard pattern when theinformation processing apparatus 101 is in the power saving mode.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, whether to enable thepacket discarding mode is selected by the user in advance. A settingscreen 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 is used when the user determineswhether to enable the packet discarding mode. The setting screen 400 isdisplayed on the operation unit 213. If the user selects an ON button401, the packet discarding mode is enabled. On the other hand, if theuser selects an OFF button 402, the packet discarding mode is disabled.Whether the packet discarding mode is enabled or disabled via thesetting screen 400 is stored in the NVRAM 210 of the main control unit200 and the NVRAM 227 of the communication unit 220.

Referring back again to the flowchart in FIG. 3, in step S302, if thesetting of the packet discarding mode is enabled and the enabled settingis stored in the NVRAM 210 of the main control unit 200, the CPU 201determines that the packet discarding mode is enabled (YES in stepS302), and the processing proceeds to step S303. On the other hand, instep S302, if the setting of the packet discarding mode is disabled andthe disabled setting is stored in the NVRAM 210 of the main control unit200, the CPU 201 determines that the packet discarding mode is disabled(NO in step S302), and the processing proceeds to step S305.

In step S303, the CPU 201 notifies the communication unit 220 of theproxy response pattern, the WOL pattern, and the discard pattern storedin advance in the NVRAM 210 via the expansion I/F 202. Then, thecommunication unit 220 stores the proxy response pattern, the WOLpattern, and the discard pattern in the NVRAM 227.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the proxy response pattern, the WOLpattern, and the discard pattern according to the present exemplaryembodiment. The proxy response pattern, the WOL pattern, and the discardpattern illustrated in FIG. 5 are stored in advance in the NVRAM 210 ofthe main control unit 200.

First, the proxy response pattern will be described. The proxy responsepattern is a pattern of a packet that responds to the received packet.The communication unit 220 responds to the received packet in place ofthe main control unit 200. The response to the received packet made bythe communication unit 220 in place of the main control unit 200 will behereinafter referred to as a proxy response. According to this proxyresponse, the entire information processing apparatus 101 can respond tothe received packet while maintaining the power saving state (i.e.,power saving mode).

According to FIG. 5, two patterns are stored as the proxy responsepattern. The first pattern is an “Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)Request to information processing apparatus” and the second pattern is a“predetermined GetRequest of a Simple Network Management Protocol(SNMP)”. A GetRequest of SNMP is a request for the status of theinformation processing apparatus 101. The status which is to bespecifically requested is designated by an object ID (OID) included inthe GetRequest. According to the present exemplary embodiment, two typesof GetRequests with OIDs of “hrDeviceDescr” and “hrDeviceErrors” arestored as the proxy response patterns.

The two types of GetRequests with OIDs of “hrDeviceDescr” and“hrDeviceErrors” are standard status requests used for polling output bythe PC 102 to the information processing system 100 at regularintervals. Since the communication unit 220 performs the proxy responseto the status requests used for polling output by an external apparatussuch as the PC 102 at regular intervals, the information processingapparatus 101 can maintain the power saving mode.

Next, the WOL pattern will be described. The WOL pattern is a shiftpattern which indicates that the information processing apparatus 101needs to be shifted from the power saving mode to the normal power mode.If the received packet matches the WOL pattern, the communication unit220 notifies the power supply control unit 230 of the shift instruction,by which the power saving mode is shifted to the normal power mode, viathe power supply control unit I/F 226. Accordingly, the power supplycontrol unit 230 shifts the mode of the information processing apparatus101 from the power saving mode to the normal power mode. When the modeof the information processing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normalpower mode, the received packet is transferred from the communicationunit 220 to the main control unit 200, and the main control unit 200performs processing of the received packet such as print processingbased on a print job. According to FIG. 5, two patterns are stored asthe WOL pattern. One is a “packet to media access control (MAC) addressof information processing apparatus” and the other is a “device searchpacket”.

Next, the discard pattern will be described. If the received packetmatches the discard pattern, the communication unit 220 discards thereceived packet and maintains the power saving mode. According to FIG.5, an “SNMP packet” is stored as the discard pattern.

The SNMP packet is used as the discard pattern since the number of typesof the external apparatus such as the PC 102 may increase and theversion of the application that runs on the PC 102 may be upgraded. Insuch cases, it is assumed that the type of the status requests used forpolling at regular intervals for the information processing apparatus101 is added. For example, a case will be described where the version ofan application used by the PC 102 is upgraded and GetRequests with OIDsof “prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and “prtInputCurrentLevel” are newly addedas the status requests used for polling at regular intervals. Althoughdescribed in detail with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 7 below, ifthe packet discarding mode is not enabled, the mode of the informationprocessing apparatus 101 is shifted from the power saving mode to thenormal power mode when the communication unit 220 receives theGetRequests with the OIDs of “prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and“prtInputCurrentLevel”. This is because the GetRequests with the OIDs of“prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and “prtInputCurrentLevel” match the WOLpattern of a “packet to MAC address of information processingapparatus”. Thus, according to the present exemplary embodiment, if thepacket discarding mode is enabled, the information processing apparatus101 can maintain the power saving mode by the communication unit 220discarding the newly-added GetRequest.

Further, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the user selectswhether to enable or disable the packet discarding mode via the settingscreen 400. Regarding the above-described newly-added status request,the power saving mode may be maintained by the communication unit 220discarding the status request without exception. However, it may benecessary for the information processing apparatus 101 to respond to anewly-added status request depending on the specification of theapplication which operates on the PC 102. Thus, it is not alwaysdesirable to have the communication unit 220 discard all the newly-addedstatus requests. In other words, it is desirable to enable the user toselect whether to enable or disable the packet discarding modeconsidering the environment of the entire information processing system100.

Referring back again to the flowchart in FIG. 3, if the packetdiscarding mode is enabled on the setting screen 400, in step S303, theCPU 201 notifies the communication unit 220 of the proxy responsepattern, the WOL pattern, and the discard pattern via the expansion I/F202. In step S304, the CPU 201 shifts the information processingapparatus 101 from the normal power mode to the power saving mode. Inother words, the CPU 201 sends a shift instruction to the power supplycontrol unit 230 via the power supply control unit I/F 206 so that thenormal power mode is shifted to the power saving mode. Then, the mode ofthe information processing apparatus 101 is shifted from the normalpower mode to the power saving mode by the power supply control unit230.

On the other hand, if the packet discarding mode is disabled on thesetting screen 400, in step S305, the CPU 201 notifies the communicationunit 220 of the proxy response pattern and the WOL pattern, which havebeen stored in advance in the NVRAM 210, via the expansion I/F 202.Then, the communication unit 220 stores the notified proxy responsepattern and the notified WOL pattern in the NVRAM 227. Unlike in stepS303, the communication unit 220 is not notified of the discard patternin step S305. This is because the packet discarding mode is set disabledon the setting screen 400. In step S305, when the CPU 201 notifies thecommunication unit 220 of the proxy response pattern and the WOLpattern, the processing proceeds to step S304. In step S304, the CPU 201shifts the information processing apparatus 101 from the normal powermode to the power saving mode.

According to the flowchart in FIG. 3, whether the communication unit 220is notified the discard pattern is depending on the determination resultin step S302. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedto such a configuration. For example, without performing thedetermination in step S302 and regardless of whether the packetdiscarding mode is enabled, the CPU 201 can notify the communicationunit 220 of the proxy response pattern, the WOL pattern, and the discardpattern.

Next, processing which is executed when the setting of the packetdiscarding mode is enabled on the setting screen 400 and, further, theinformation processing apparatus 101 operates in the power saving modewill be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 6. Theprocessing in the flowchart in FIG. 6 is executed when the communicationunit 220 receives a packet sent from an external apparatus. Further,each step in the flowchart in FIG. 6 is processed by the CPU 221 of thecommunication unit 220 loading a program stored in a memory such as theROM 223 to the RAM 224 and executing it.

When the communication unit 220 receives a packet sent from an externalapparatus such as the PC 102, in step S601, the CPU 221 analyzes thereceived packet. In step S602, the CPU 221 determines whether thereceived packet matches the proxy response pattern illustrated in FIG.5.

In step S602, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet matchesthe proxy response pattern (YES in step S602), the processing proceedsto step S603. In step S603, the CPU 221 executes the proxy responsewhile maintaining the power saving mode. On the other hand, in stepS602, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet does not matchthe proxy response pattern (NO in step S602), the processing proceeds tostep S604.

In step S604, the CPU 221 determines whether the received packet matchesthe discard pattern illustrated in FIG. 5. In step S604, if the CPU 221determines that the received packet matches the discard pattern (YES instep S604), the processing proceeds to step S605. In step S605, the CPU221 discards the received packet and maintains the power saving mode. Ifthe packet discarding mode is enabled, since the above-describednewly-added GetRequests with the OIDs of “prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and“prtInputCurrentLevel” are discarded in step S605, the informationprocessing apparatus 101 can maintain the power saving mode.

In step S604, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet doesnot match the discard pattern (NO in step S604), the processing proceedsto step S606. In step S606, the CPU 221 determines whether the receivedpacket matches the WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5.

In step S606, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet matchesthe WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5 (YES in step S606), the processingproceeds to step S607. In step S607, the CPU 221 controls the powersupply control unit 230 so that the power saving mode of the informationprocessing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal power mode. To be moreprecise, a shift instruction, by which the mode is shifted to the normalpower mode, is notified to the power supply control unit 230 via thepower supply control unit I/F 226, and the power saving mode of theinformation processing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal power modeby the power supply control unit 230. When the mode of the informationprocessing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal power mode, thereceived packet is transferred to the main control unit 200 via theexpansion I/F 222, and the processing of the received packet is executedby the main control unit 200.

On the other hand, in step S606, if the CPU 221 determines that thereceived packet does not match the WOL pattern (NO in step S606), theprocessing proceeds to step S608. In step S608, the CPU 221 discards thereceived packet, and the power saving mode is maintained.

According to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6, if the setting of thepacket discarding mode is enabled and, further, the informationprocessing apparatus 101 operates in the power saving mode, thecommunication unit 220 determines the processing to be executed for thereceived packet based on the proxy response pattern, the WOL pattern,and the discard pattern.

Next, processing which is executed when the setting of the packetdiscarding mode is disabled on the setting screen 400 and, further, theinformation processing apparatus 101 operates in the power saving modewill be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 7. Theprocessing in the flowchart in FIG. 7 is executed when the communicationunit 220 receives a packet sent from an external apparatus. Further,each step in the flowchart in FIG. 7 is processed by the CPU 221 of thecommunication unit 220 loading a program stored in a memory such as theROM 223 to the RAM 224 and executing it. The difference between theflowchart in FIG. 6 and the flowchart in FIG. 7 is whether the packetdiscarding mode is enabled or not, in other words, whether thecommunication unit 220 uses the discard pattern when it determines theprocessing of the received packet.

When the communication unit 220 receives a packet sent from an externalapparatus such as the PC 102, in step S701, the CPU 221 analyzes thereceived packet. In step S702, the CPU 221 determines whether thereceived packet matches the proxy response pattern illustrated in FIG.5.

In step S702, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet matchesthe proxy response pattern (YES in step S702), the processing proceedsto step S703. In step S703, the CPU 221 executes the proxy responsewhile maintaining the power saving mode. On the other hand, in stepS702, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet does not matchthe proxy response pattern (NO in step S702), the processing proceeds tostep S704.

In step S704, the CPU 221 determines whether the received packet matchesthe WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5. In step S704, if the CPU 221determines that the received packet matches the WOL pattern illustratedin FIG. 5 (YES in step S704), the processing proceeds to step S705. Instep S705, the CPU 221 controls the power supply control unit 230 sothat the power saving mode of the information processing apparatus 101is shifted to the normal power mode.

Steps S704 and S705 are similar to steps S606 and S607 in FIG. 6 exceptfor the processing which is performed when the above-describednewly-added GetRequests with the OIDs of “prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and“prtInputCurrentLevel” are received. In such a case, if the packetdiscarding mode is enabled as is in FIG. 6, the newly-added GetRequestswill be discarded. On the other hand, if the packet discarding mode isdisabled as is in FIG. 7, the newly-added GetRequests will be determinedto be match the WOL pattern in step S704. Then, in step S705, the powersaving mode is shifted to the normal power mode. After the informationprocessing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal power mode, the maincontrol unit 200 responds to the newly-added GetRequests.

In step S704, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet doesnot match the WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5 (NO in step S704), theprocessing proceeds to step S706. In step S706, the CPU 221 discards thereceived packet and maintains the power saving mode.

According to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7, if the setting of thepacket discarding mode is disabled and, further, the informationprocessing apparatus 101 operates in the power saving mode, thecommunication unit 220 determines the processing to be executed for thereceived packet based on the proxy response pattern and the WOL patternwithout using the discard pattern.

As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, thecommunication unit 220 sets the discard pattern used for the discardingof the received packet. Further, whether the discard pattern can be usedby the communication unit 220 can be changed according to thedesignation by the user.

Since the user can select whether to enable the packet discarding modeaccording to the environment of the information processing system 100,the convenience of the user is enhanced. For example, if theabove-described newly-added GetRequests with the OIDs of“prtMarkerSuppliesLevel” and “prtInputCurrentLevel” are frequentlytransmitted from the PC 102 to the information processing apparatus 101and, further, if it is necessary for the information processingapparatus 101 to respond to such GetRequests, it is desirable for theuser to set the packet discarding mode disabled. If the packetdiscarding mode is set disabled, since the power saving mode will beshifted to the normal power mode when the newly-added GetRequest isreceived by the communication unit 220, the information processingapparatus 101 can respond to the received GetRequest.

On the other hand, even if the newly-added GetRequests are frequentlytransmitted from the PC 102 to the information processing apparatus 101,if it is not necessary for the information processing apparatus 101 torespond to such GetRequests, it is desirable for the user to set thepacket discarding mode enabled. If the packet discarding mode is setenabled, since the communication unit 220 discards the newly-addedGetRequest, the information processing apparatus 101 can maintain thepower saving mode and the power consumption can be reduced.

Further, according to the present exemplary embodiment, although thecommunication unit 220 is notified of the proxy response pattern, theWOL pattern, and the discard pattern are notified when the mode isshifted to the power saving mode, the patterns may be notified atdifferent timing. For example, the communication unit 220 is notified ofthe proxy response pattern, the WOL pattern, and the discard pattern canbe notified when the information processing apparatus 101 is started.

Further, the user may add a new pattern to the proxy response pattern,the WOL pattern, and the discard pattern, or delete an existing patternvia an editing screen (not illustrated). For example, as for the discardpattern, although an SNMP packet is designated as the discard pattern inFIG. 5 as a particular protocol, packets of other protocols may be addedto the discard pattern.

Next, a second exemplary embodiment will be described.

According to the first exemplary embodiment, it is determined whetherthe communication unit 220 uses the discard pattern when it determinesthe processing to be performed for the received packet according towhether the packet discarding mode is set enabled or disabled. Accordingto the second exemplary embodiment, as a modification of the firstexemplary embodiment, the communication unit 220 uses the discardpattern regardless of whether the packet discarding mode is set enabledor disabled.

Next, processing which is executed when the information processingapparatus 101 operates in the power saving mode will be described withreference to a flowchart in FIG. 8. The processing in the flowchart inFIG. 8 is executed when the communication unit 220 receives a packetsent from an external apparatus. Further, each step in the flowchart inFIG. 8 is processed by the CPU 221 of the communication unit 220 loadinga program stored in a memory such as the ROM 223 to the RAM 224 andexecuting it. Unlike the first exemplary embodiment, if the informationprocessing apparatus 101 operates in the power saving mode, theprocessing of the flowchart in FIG. 8 will be executed regardless ofwhether the packet discarding mode is set enabled or disabled on thesetting screen 400.

When the communication unit 220 receives a packet sent from an externalapparatus such as the PC 102, in step S801, the CPU 221 analyzes thereceived packet. In step S802, the CPU 221 determines whether thereceived packet matches the proxy response pattern illustrated in FIG.5.

In step S802, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet matchesthe proxy response pattern (YES in step S802), the processing proceedsto step S803. In step S803, the CPU 221 executes the proxy responsewhile maintaining the power saving mode. On the other hand, in stepS802, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet does not matchthe proxy response pattern (NO in step S802), the processing proceeds tostep S804.

In step S804, the CPU 221 determines whether the received packet matchesthe discard pattern illustrated in FIG. 5. In step S804, if the CPU 221determines that the received packet matches the discard pattern (YES instep S804), the processing proceeds to step S805. On the other hand, instep S804, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet does notmatch the discard pattern (NO in step S804), the processing proceeds tostep S807.

In step S805, the CPU 221 determines whether the packet discarding modeis set enabled. If the packet discarding mode is set enabled in theNVRAM 227 of the communication unit 220 (YES in step S805), the CPU 221determines that the packet discarding mode is set enabled, and theprocessing proceeds to step S806. In step S806, the CPU 221 discards thereceived packet. On the other hand, if the setting of the packetdiscarding mode is set disabled and the disabled setting is stored inthe NVRAM 227 of the communication unit 220 (NO in step S805), in stepS805, the CPU 221 determines that the packet discarding mode is not setenabled, and the processing proceeds to step S808.

According to the processing in steps S804 and S805, when the receivedpacket matches the discard pattern, whether the communication unit 220discards the received packet is changed depending on whether the packetdiscarding mode is set enabled or disabled by the user. If the receivedpacket matches the discard pattern, the communication unit 220 discardsthe received packet on condition that the packet discarding mode is setenabled. On the other hand, even if the received packet matches thediscard pattern, the communication unit 220 does not discard thereceived packet on condition that the packet discarding mode is setdisabled by the user.

Referring back again to the flowchart in FIG. 8, in step S807, the CPU221 determines whether the received packet matches the WOL patternillustrated in FIG. 5. If the CPU 221 determines that the receivedpacket matches the WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5 (YES in step S807),the processing proceeds to step S808. In step S808, the CPU 221 controlsthe power supply control unit 230 so that the power saving mode of theinformation processing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal powermode. To be more precise, the power supply control unit 230 is notifiedof a shift instruction, by which the mode is shifted to the normal powermode, via the power supply control unit I/F 226, and the power savingmode of the information processing apparatus 101 is shifted to thenormal power mode by the power supply control unit 230. When the mode ofthe information processing apparatus 101 is shifted to the normal powermode, the received packet is transferred to the main control unit 200via the expansion I/F 222, and the processing of the received packet isexecuted by the main control unit 200.

In step S807, if the CPU 221 determines that the received packet doesnot match the WOL pattern illustrated in FIG. 5 (NO in step S807), theprocessing proceeds to step S809. In step S809, the CPU 221 discards thereceived packet, and the power saving mode is maintained.

The modification of the first exemplary embodiment has been described asthe second exemplary embodiment. According to the present exemplaryembodiment, the communication unit 220 uses a discard pattern fordiscarding the received packet and the user can select whether to enableor disable the packet discarding mode. Thus, according to the presentexemplary embodiment, an effect similar to that of the first exemplaryembodiment can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention can also be realized by a computerof a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executableinstructions recorded on a storage medium (e.g., non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium) to perform the functions of one ormore of the above-described embodiment(s) of the present invention, andby a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, forexample, reading out and executing the computer executable instructionsfrom the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of theabove-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more ofa central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU), or othercircuitry, and may include a network of separate computers or separatecomputer processors. The computer executable instructions may beprovided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storagemedium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of ahard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), astorage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A processing method executed by a printingapparatus in a case where the printing apparatus operating in a powersaving mode receives a packet, the processing method comprising:determining whether the received packet satisfies a response conditionthat indicates a packet to which the printing apparatus is capable ofresponding while maintaining the power saving mode; responding to thereceived packet while maintaining the power saving mode, in a case wherethe received packet is determined to satisfy the response condition;determining whether the received packet satisfies a discard conditionthat indicates a packet needs to be discarded in the power saving mode,in a case where the received packet is determined not to satisfy theresponse condition; discarding the received packet while maintaining thepower saving mode, in a case where the received packet is determined tosatisfy the discard condition; determining whether the received packetsatisfies a shift condition that indicates a packet for which theprinting apparatus needs to be shifted from the power saving mode to anormal power mode, in a case where the received packet is determined notto satisfy the discard condition; and shifting the printing apparatusfrom the power saving mode to the normal power mode, in a case where thereceived packet is determined to satisfy the shift condition, whereinthe received packet is determined to satisfy the response condition, atleast in a case where the received packet is a GetRequest of a SimpleNetwork Management Protocol (SNMP) in which a particular object ID isdesignated.
 2. The processing method according to claim 1, furthercomprising discarding the received packet while maintaining the powersaving mode, in a case where the received packet is determined not tosatisfy the shift condition.
 3. The processing method according to claim1, wherein the received packet is determined to satisfy the discardcondition, at least in a case where the received packet is a SNMP packetexcluding at least the GetRequest of the SNMP in which the particularobject ID is designated.
 4. The processing method according to claim 1,wherein the received packet is determined to satisfy the discardcondition, at least in a case where the received packet is a SNMP packetother than the GetRequest in which the particular object ID isdesignated.
 5. The processing method according to claim 4, wherein thereceived packet is determined to satisfy the shift condition, at leastin a case where a destination of the received packet is the printingapparatus.
 6. The processing method according to claim 4, wherein thereceived packet is determined to satisfy the shift condition, at leastin a case where a MAC address of a destination of the received packetmatches a MAC address of the printing apparatus.
 7. The processingmethod according to claim 1, wherein it is set on a basis of a userinstruction whether or not to enable discard setting that indicatesthat, among the packets received by the printing apparatus operating inthe power saving mode, packets satisfying the discard condition bediscarded; in a case where the discard setting is enabled, performing:determining whether the received packet satisfies the responsecondition; responding to the received packet while maintaining the powersaving mode, in a case where the received packet is determined tosatisfy the response condition; determining whether the received packetsatisfies the discard condition, in a case where the received packet isdetermined not to satisfy the response condition; discarding thereceived packet while maintaining the power saving mode, in a case wherethe received packet is determined to satisfy the discard condition;determining whether the received packet satisfies the shift condition,in a case where the received packet is determined not to satisfy thediscard condition; and shifting the printing apparatus from the powersaving mode to the normal power mode, in a case where the receivedpacket is determined to satisfy the shift condition; and in a case wherethe discard setting is not enabled, performing: determining whether thereceived packet satisfies the response condition; responding to thereceived packet while maintaining the power saving mode, in a case wherethe received packet is determined to satisfy the response condition;determining whether the received packet satisfies the shift condition,in a case where the received packet is determined not to satisfy theresponse condition; and shifting the printing apparatus from the powersaving mode to the normal power mode, in a case where the receivedpacket is determined to satisfy the shift condition.
 8. A printingapparatus comprising: a first determination unit configured to determinewhether a packet received by the printing apparatus operating in a powersaving mode satisfies a response condition that indicates a packet towhich the printing apparatus is capable of responding while maintainingthe power saving mode; a first processing unit configured to respond tothe received packet while maintaining the power saving mode, in a casewhere the received packet is determined to satisfy the responsecondition by the first determination unit; a second determination unitconfigured to determine whether the received packet satisfies a discardcondition that indicates a packet needs to be discarded in the powersaving mode, in a case where the received packet is determined not tosatisfy the response condition by the first determination unit; a secondprocessing unit configured to discard the received packet whilemaintaining the power saving mode, in a case where the received packetis determined to satisfy the discard condition by the seconddetermination unit; a third determination unit configured to determinewhether the received packet satisfies a shift condition that indicates apacket for which the printing apparatus needs to be shifted from thepower saving mode to a normal power mode, in a case where the receivedpacket is determined not to satisfy the discard condition by the seconddetermination unit; and a third processing unit configured to shift theprinting apparatus from the power saving mode to the normal power mode,in a case where the received packet is determined to satisfy the shiftcondition by the third determination unit, wherein the firstdetermination unit determines the received packet to satisfy theresponse condition, at least in a case where the received packet is aGetRequest of a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) in which aparticular object ID is designated.
 9. The printing apparatus accordingto claim 8, wherein the third processing unit discards the receivedpacket while maintaining the power saving mode, in a case where thereceived packet is determined not to satisfy the shift condition by thethird determination unit.
 10. The printing apparatus according to claim8, wherein the second determination unit determines the received packetto satisfy the discard condition, at least in a case where the receivedpacket is a SNMP packet excluding at least the GetRequest of the SNMP inwhich the particular object ID is designated.
 11. The processing methodaccording to claim 8, wherein the second determination unit determinesthe received packet to satisfy the discard condition, in a case wherethe received packet is a SNMP packet other than the GetRequest in whichthe particular object ID is designated.
 12. The printing apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the third determination unit determinesthe received packet to satisfy the shift condition, in a case where adestination of the received packet is the printing apparatus.
 13. Theprinting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the thirddetermination unit determines the received packet to satisfy the shiftcondition, in a case where a MAC address of a destination of thereceived packet matches a MAC address of the printing apparatus.